Powerful winds, snow and cold temperatures sweeping into Great Lakes and Northeast

Powerful winds, snow, and colder temperatures are sweeping into the Northeast Sunday morning as the first in a series of clipper systems moves through the region. On Saturday, very strong winds downed trees and knocked out power in parts of the Midwest as the system moved through.

Saturday afternoon, a wind gust of 71 mph was reported in Straughn, Indiana, and a wind gust of 59 mph was measured at Chicago's Midway International Airport. Road signs were bent near Andrew, Iowa and a semi trailer was blown over on Interstate 155 near Hartsburg, Illinois. More than 60,000 customers lost power due to the strong winds in Indiana Saturday.

Saturday night, winds gusted to as high as 59 mph at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. A gust over 60 mph was reported at New York City's JFK airport early Sunday morning.

RELATED: East Coast hit with a blizzard in late January

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#Blizzard2016 aka Winter Storm Jonas slams the east coast

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Powerful winds, snow and cold temperatures sweeping into Great Lakes and Northeast

A massive winter storm system pummeled the eastern United States in late January 2016, with two low-pressure systems merging into a potent nor’easter that dropped heavy snow from Virginia to New England. By late afternoon on Jan. 23, snowfall totals were approaching records in several states, and hurricane-force winds were battering the coastlines and leading to serious flooding. The storm was expected to continue through the morning of Jan. 24.

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite acquired this image of the storm system at 2:15 a.m. EST on Jan. 23. It was composed through the use of the VIIRS “day-night band,” which detects faint light signals such as city lights, moonlight, airglow, and auroras. In the image, the clouds are lit from above by the nearly full Moon and from below by the lights of the heavily populated East Coast. The city lights are blurred in places by cloud cover.

(Photo via NASA)

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 23: A woman walks in strong winds and heavy snow fall in Central Park on January 23, 2016 in New York City. A major Nor'easter is hitting much of the East Coast and parts of the South as forecasts warn of up to two feet of snow in some areas. (Photo by Astrid Riecken/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - A man use a skiing on a snow covered street in Manhattan in New York on January 23, 2016.
A deadly blizzard with bone-chilling winds and potentially record-breaking snowfall slammed the eastern US on January 23, as officials urged millions in the storm's path to seek shelter -- warning the worst is yet to come. US news reports said at least eight people had died by late Friday from causes related to the monster snowstorm, which is expected to last until early Sunday. / AFP / KENA BETANCUR (Photo credit should read KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - A pedestrian walks in the center of a snow-covered residential street in Washington, DC on January 23, 2016.
A deadly blizzard with bone-chilling winds and potentially record-breaking snowfall slammed the eastern US on January 23, as officials urged millions in the storm's path to seek shelter -- warning the worst is yet to come. / AFP / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - A man lays in a pile of snow in Times Square on January 23, 2016 in New York.
A deadly blizzard with bone-chilling winds and potentially record-breaking snowfall slammed the eastern US on January 23, as officials urged millions in the storm's path to seek shelter -- warning the worst is yet to come. US news reports said at least eight people had died by late Friday from causes related to the monster snowstorm, which is expected to last until early Sunday. / AFP / Don EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY - JANUARY 23: Waves crash on the beach on January 23, 2016 in Cape May, New Jersey. A major snowstorm is upon the East Coast this weekend with some areas expected to receive over a foot of snow. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 22: Nuns from the Fraternite Notre-Dame in Chicago, Illinois are covered in newly fallen snow as they walk along Constitution Avenue while snow begins to accumulate January 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. A major snowstorm is forecasted for the East Coast this weekend with some areas expected to receive up to 1-2 feet of snow. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Snow covers cars parked in Washington on January 23, 2016.
A deadly blizzard with bone-chilling winds and potentially record-breaking snowfall slammed the eastern US on Saturday, as officials urged millions in the storm's path to seek shelter -- warning the worst is yet to come. US news reports said at least eight people had died by late Friday from causes related to the monster snowstorm, which is expected to last until early Sunday.
/ AFP / Mladen ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images)

A man walks on snow covered Thomas Circle in Washington on January 23, 2016.
A deadly blizzard with bone-chilling winds and potentially record-breaking snowfall slammed the eastern US on Saturday, as officials urged millions in the storm's path to seek shelter -- warning the worst is yet to come. US news reports said at least eight people had died by late Friday from causes related to the monster snowstorm, which is expected to last until early Sunday.
/ AFP / Mladen ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 22: A snowplow cleans up snow on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the U.S. Capitol January 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. A winter snowstorm is forecasted for the East Coast this weekend with prediction of up to 30 inches of snow for the DC area. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - The White House is seen during a snowstorm in Washington January 22, 2016.
Thousands of flights were cancelled and supermarket shelves were left bare Friday as millions of Americans hunkered down for a winter storm expected to dump historic amounts of snow in the eastern United States. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - People cross 15ht Street during a snowstorm in Washington January 22, 2016.
Thousands of flights were cancelled and supermarket shelves were left bare Friday as millions of Americans hunkered down for a winter storm expected to dump historic amounts of snow in the eastern United States. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

A Homeless covers from the snow in Central park on January 23, 2016 in New York.
A deadly blizzard with bone-chilling winds and potentially record-breaking snowfall slammed the eastern US on Saturday, as officials urged millions in the storm's path to seek shelter -- warning the worst is yet to come. US news reports said at least eight people had died by late Friday from causes related to the monster snowstorm, which is expected to last until early Sunday. / AFP / KENA BETANCUR (Photo credit should read KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images)

A man walks past a restaurant during a snowstorm January 22, 2016 in Washington, DC.
Thousands of flights were cancelled and supermarket shelves were left bare Friday as millions of Americans hunkered down for a winter storm expected to dump historic amounts of snow in the eastern United States. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

CHAPEL HILL, NC - JANUARY 22: Vehicles move along Interstate 40 as an overhead sign indicates 'Winter Weather Warning In Effect' during a winter storm on January 22, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. A major snowstorm is forecasted for the East Coast this weekend with some areas getting a possible one to two feet of snow. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

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Trees have been knocked down by the strong winds in parts of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey as of early Sunday. Tens of thousands of customers have lost power in Pennsylvania due to high winds.

High wind warnings and wind advisories remain in effect for portions of the Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast into Sunday. Wind gusts up to 60 mph are possible in the areas under high wind warnings, which may result in downed trees and scattered power outages.

The return to a regime more typical of winter is due to an incoming surge of arctic air pushing southward through central and eastern Canada and into adjacent parts of the northern United States. Fast-moving low pressure systems, known as clippers, will have just enough moisture to produce snow in locations where cold air is sufficient.

The colder-than-average temperatures are first making their presence known in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes through Sunday. High temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees below where they are typically expected to be for the beginning of April in this area through at least the beginning of the new week.

Highs will likely top out in the 30s and 40s for much of the Northeast and Great Lakes. Some locations near the Canadian border may not rise out of the 20s.

Along with the cooler temperatures, gusty winds can also be expected, creating wind chills well below the actual air temperature.

Low temperatures will be in the 20s and 30s for much of the Upper Midwest and interior Northeast, with teens and a few single digits likely near the Canadian border from northern Minnesota to northern New England.

Morning wind chills on Monday may be in the single digits and teens across much of the Great Lakes and interior Northeast, with 20s closer to the coast.

Clippers to Bring Snow

With the cold air in place, two rounds of snow are expected in parts of the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast this weekend into early next week as a duo of low-pressure systems pass through. A third system could bring even more wintry weather to those regions during the middle part of next week, but details are uncertain.

Here's an overview for the first two systems.

System #1:

Sunday: Snow continues in portions of New England during the morning.

Accumulations: Mainly light snowfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected from Upstate New York into New England. Locally higher amounts are possible across parts of the Catskills, Berkshires and Worcester hills.

System #2:

A second area of low pressure will dive south into the Upper Midwest Sunday and then pivot through the Great Lakes and Northeast Monday.

Some accumulating snow is expected along the path of this system from northern Minnesota and northeast Wisconsin into Michigan, northern Pennsylvania, Upstate New York and New England. Some ocean-effect snow is also possible in southern New England on Tuesday.

Below are the latest forecast maps showing areas that could see snow Sunday night into Monday, though keep in mind this forecast is subject to change in the days ahead.

Near zero visibility was reported in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois midday Saturday in heavy snow bands. Thundersnow was reported near Crystal Lake, Illinois in the morning, and at Johnstown, Pennsylvania in the evening.

Convective showers with small hail moved across southern New England late Saturday afternoon, locally covering some roadways in Bristol, Connecticut.